Reverse-gear for engines.



Patonted Dec. I7, |901.

S. KmSCELLA.

REVERSE GEAR FOR ENGINES.

(Application 'med nec. 14, 1900.)

(No Model.)

WMM

RIS PETERS O0.. PHmLI'THU. WSHIN lUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL KINSOELLA, OF NORA SPRINGS, IOWA.

REVERSE-G EAR FOR ENGINES.

'SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 689,313, dated December 17, 1901. Application filed December 14, 1900. Serial No. 39,850. (No model.)

T 'all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL KINscELLA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nora Springs, in the county of Floyd and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in`Reverse-Gear Mechanism for Engines, of which the following is a speciiication.

The object of my invention is to provide a reverse-gear that shall be of simple, strong, durable, and inexpensive construction and that may be conveniently and easily handled.

My invention consists in certain details in theconstruction, arrangement, and combination, `with a shaft driven from the engine piston-rod and a rod connected with the slidevalve of the engine, of my improved reverse- Agear mechanism, whereby the objects above lcontemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, -in which- 1 IFigure 1 shows a top or plan view of a traction engine having my improved reverse- `gear applied thereto. Fig. 2 shows an enlarged detail sectional view of the parts of the rreverse-gear that are attached to the engine-shaft. Fig. 3 shows an end elevation of the eccentric and the eccentric-strap thereon, also showing the pinion by which the eccentric fis moved as required in reversing the engine. view-.of the ldevice for engaging the wormshafft :and Yfor causing it to rotate. Fig. 5 shows-an edge elevation of the same.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference-numeral to indi- -cate the cylinder of the engine; 1l, the steamfchest; 12, the piston, and 13 the rod for operating the steam-valve, having'the eccentricstrap 13a thereon. The engine-shaft is indicated by the reference-numeral 14, and on one end thereof is the crank-wheel 15, having a wrist-pin 16, to which the piston-rod 12 is attached, and the numeral 17.indicates a beltwheel, alsofixed to same shaft. These parts are all of the ordinary construction, and their functions are well known. Hence further description is deemed unnecessary.

I have rotatably mounted on the shaft 14, in alinement with the rod 13, an eccentric, (indicated by the reference-numeral 18.) This flig. 4 shows an enlarged detail .endI

eccentric is provided on one face of the portion thereof farthest from the center of the shaft with a segmental rack 19, having teeth on its surface nearest the shaft, said rack being preferably of a length corresponding to one-third the diameter of the eccentric. Adjacent to this eccentric I have fixed upon the shaft 14 a pulley 20, said pulley having an opening through its web, said opening being parallel with theshaft for purposes hereinafter made clear. At some distance from the said pulley I have placed a collar 21, said collar being held in position on the shaft by mea-ns of the set-screw 22. vided with an extension .23, also having an opening therein parallel with the 4shaft and in alinemfent with the opening in the pulley 20. In the openings in the said extension 23 and the pulley 2O I have rotatably mounted the Worm-shaft 24, having the spiral groove 25 therein, and on one end of the shaft 24 is a pinion 26, which pinion is meshed with the segmental rack 1 9. Hence it is obvious that when the shaft 24 is rotated the pinion 25 will move the eccentric relative to the shaft l14`by means of the segmental rack 19. I have rotatably mounted upon the shaft 14, between the collar 21 and the pulley 20, a hub 27, having a web -28. In this web I have placed a segmental plate 29, having an integral collar 30, provided with a central opening 31 and in this central opening 3l is a rounded projection 32. The said plate 29 is designed to enter a recess for it in the web 28,and the collar 30 is designed to pass through the web, with its opening 31 in alinement with the openings in the extension 23 and the pulley 20, and the projection 22 is designed to enter the spiral groove 25 in the shaft 24.

Mounted upon the periphery of the web 28 is a rim 33, having two rounded projections 34 at points diametrically opposite therefrom, said projections extending radially from the rim. A collar 35 is secured, by means of the bolts 36, to one side of said rim and in engagement with one side of the web 28 to hold the rim-in position on the web and yet permit its free rotation thereon.v

The reference-numeral 37 indicates a lever fulcrumed to a suitable support adjacent to la segmental rack 38. A spring-actuated pawl 39 is attached to the lever to engage the rack,

This collar is prol IOD . whereby the lever may be held in any position with relation to the rack in which it may be placed. Connected With the lever is a link 40, and said link is pivoted to one end of a bell-crank lever 41, fulcrumed to a support 42 and having one end divided and provided wjjith longitudinal slots 43 in its ends, said slots being designed to receive the projections 34. By this means it is obvious that when the said lever 37 is moved the hub 27 will be moved longitudinallyupon the shaft 14.

In practical operation and assuming that the device was combined with the4 operative parts of an engine, as illustrated in Fig.r1, and'assuming, further, that it was desired to reverse the-engine the operator would rst draw the lever 37 toward the rear end of the engine. This would operate the bell-crank lever 4l in such manner as to slide the hub 27 longitudinally upon the shaft 14 to the opposite limit of its movement. During this time the projection 32, by reason of its position in the spiral groove 25, would cause the Worm shaft 24 to rotate, Whichoperation would obviously change the position of the eccentric 18 relative to the shaft,which would reverse the engine in the same manner as is now done by the ordinary reversing mechanism. The advantage to be attained from the construction herey shown is that the parts are compactly arranged upon the shaft 14 and that theyare few in number and that their action is direct and positive, thereby minimizing expense of construction and decreasing the liability to wear or breakage or misplacement of parts.

The aforesaid lat-eral toothed extension 19 is cast integral with the eccentric 1S, and

hence is inexpensive, and when the pinion 26 on the shaft 24 is meshed with the teeth on the lateral extension the said extension forms i a guard for the pinion which will prevent articles from becoming caught between the pinion and the toothed extension. Furthermore, these parts may be readily and quickly attached and detached Without being pivoted or otherwise securing them together, and a comparatively great limit of movement for the eccentric is provided. The eccentric itself protects the pinion from one end and the pulley 24 from the other end and the shaft 14 from the edge opposite from the toothed extension and guard. v Hence by means of the construction shown the pinion is thoroughly protected on all sides.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is

An improved reverse-gear for engines, comprising a rotatable drive-shaft, bearings or supports fixed to said shaft to rotate thered with, a Worm-shaft rotatably mounted in said bearings or supports parallel with the main shaft, a pinion on one end of said Worm-shaft, an eccentric rotatably mounted` upon the main shaft and having a lateral projection on one side, provided with cog-teeth on its inner edge, said teeth being designed to mesh With the said pinion and said eccentric and its lateral extension also serving as a guard for the pinion, a hub slidingly mounted on the main shaft between the bearings for the Worm=shaft, a web on the hub, having said Worm-shaft passed through it, a projection on said web to enter the groove on the worm-shaft,- and means for moving thehublongitudinally upon the main shaft.

SAMUEL KINSCELLA.

Witnesses:

HARRY B. SHAW',

CHAs. A. MERRILL. 

